Differences
by LeslieSophia
Summary: Emily and Aaron relive the night they first met after seeing each other in the White House after the Capitol bombing. "You didn't finish telling me about yourself." Aaron prompted. "Not so fast, I want to hear how the mail boy worked his way up to Deputy Chief of Staff." Emily retorted. "How about," Aaron leaned in a little closer, "A little tit for tat."


**I thought I'd throw it way back just in time for the one week countdown to Season 3. Takes place during the "Pilot" episode. **

_Disclaimer: I don't own Designated Survivor. I suppose Netflix does now._

* * *

"Mr. Shore!"

Aaron didn't bother looking up from his Blackberry as he sped down the hall.

"What?" He snapped, fingers flying across the keyboard.

"Mr. Shore, there's a woman outside the barricade-," The voice panted behind him, struggling to keep up.

"HR is in charge of clearing names." Aaron said shortly, turning into his office. He tucked his phone neatly into his pocket before shuffling through the storm of files on his desktop.

The aide looked at him earnestly, "Yes, sir, I know, but she asked specifically to speak to you."

Aaron spared her a quick glance before locating the folder he was looking for and heading out of his office again, "Lots of people are looking to speak to me tonight."

"Sir, I know." The aide stepped boldly in his path, blocking his exit. Aaron felt his anger flare up. Surely all the staffers knew better than to get in his way by now. This one was young- she'd probably only been here a year or so. And wasn't about to last much longer by the looks of it.

"She's quite insistent. Said her name was Emily Rhodes, she worked under the Secre- under President Kirkman." The aide corrected quickly.

Aaron froze, his anger dissipating into relief. "Emily's alive?" He said without thinking. The question had crossed his mind briefly the second he heard the news but it had quickly been pushed away as the White House sprang into action the third second after the news had been broadcasted.

The aide gave him a quizzical look, "Yes, sir, should I have them let her through?"

"No, I'll do it." Aaron marched back to his desk, picking up the landline. "Get me the head of security at the barricade." He barked into the receiver. The aide began to back out of the room.

"Hey, what's your name?" Aaron called.

"Sasha Dixon, sir." She responded before disappearing into the hallway. Aaron scribbled her name on the corner of a report as the call connected.

"Yes, Emily Rhodes. Send her straight in under the authority of Aaron Shore."

…

"Aaron, I finally got past the gate-,"

A second wave of relief flooded over him as his eyes took in a frazzled Emily Rhodes. "I can't talk right now. I need to get back to the PEOC." He said importantly, turning away as he continued down the hall.

"Is Tom going to be in there?"

"Well, it is his meeting." Aaron responded dryly. Clearly, it was still sinking in for all of them that Tom Kirkman was now the Commander in Chief.

"Well then I'm coming with you." Emily said determinedly.

Aaron scoffed at her naivety, "Sorry, Emily, but it's code-word clearance only."

"I've been with Secretary Kirkman's staff for three years now." She protested, stopping in the middle of the hallway.

"It's President Kirkman now," Aaron corrected, "And you're not authorized." He tried to explain but Emily closed her eyes as if blocking his words out.

"If you're choosing this moment for a pissing contest…" She began but Aaron cut her off.

"That's my point, Emily. There is no contest." He said, trying to be patient with her. She had good intentions, he'd always known that about her, but intentions only got you so far in Washington with all the bureaucratic red tape.

"Now, if you'll excuse me-,"

"President Kirkman needs people he knows by his side." Her eyes pleaded with him, "You and I have our differences, I know, and you don't want me in there but you also know better than anyone else why it is important that I am there for him right now." She tried to reason but Aaron pulled back almost unconsciously as if slapped, his jaw clenching. _Was she really trying to bring that back up again now?_

Without a word, he turned on his heel and walked away, his strides long and his body humming with anger and tension.

…

Emily watched as Aaron's face closed off, regretting her words the second they left her lips. She had gone too far, bringing up their past like that. It had been unprofessional but she was desperate to help, to see Kirkman and she had judged Aaron wrong.

"Damn it." She muttered, jumping slightly as a voice behind her called out.

"Ms. Rhodes?"

Emily turned to see a dark-haired young woman standing behind her.

"Sasha Dixon." The young woman held out her hand to shake and Emily took it silently, her mind still reeling as it processed Aaron's reaction. Sasha began to lead her down the hallway, asking if she needed anything. Emily followed numbly, her thoughts trailing back to that night.

* * *

The flat was crowded, music drifting steadily around the guests, loud enough to create a mask over the buzz of conversation. The lights were dimmed slightly, the guests pleasantly tipsy, enough to relax but not so much so that anyone was coming on as improper. It was the end of the Congressional session and the annual staffer party was well under way. Emily moved around the room, exchanging greetings with the few staffers that she recognized, striking up a conversation with a particularly giddy communications coordinator that her roommate had introduced her to, before disappearing off into the middle jumble of people. While she wasn't the only new person there, she still felt more disconnected working in HUD. Then again, she also wasn't a big social climber like some of the other more newly seasoned staffers that were in attendance. Even with the low-profile guests present, there were still people in the room worth socializing with. But tonight, Emily wasn't prepared to work and network. She was there to enjoy the booze and easy company in celebrating the end to another tenuous season of politics.

...

She caught his eye from across the room while he was chatting with another White House staffer. Normally, Aaron Shore knew 85% of the White House and Hill staffers at these parties, and the other 15% of insignificant, unproven newbie staffers he never bothered to get to know until they lasted through their second or third year. But this girl…

She was like a faint spark that glimmered amongst a sea of boring faces, machines that spewed politics and connections, intelligent but bland people. He watched as she threw her head back in a bubbly laugh, her companion also giggling tipsily. One of the Joint Chiefs' young deputies approached her and Aaron tore his eyes away, refocusing on Ethan's words, and nodding along with a small chuckle as the rest of the group laughed. His eyes flicked over in her direction again as he raised his glass to his lips, but she was gone. Disappointment settled in his gut as he looked around again, a little less conspicuously this time.

"Emily Rhodes?"

"What's that?" Aaron's attention swung back to his friend, who was watching him with a smirk. The rest of the group had ambled off back into the crowd.

"Emily," Ethan pointed his glass into the crowd and Aaron's eyes followed, catching on her brunette hair and bright smile.

Aaron grinned sheepishly at his friend, "You know her?"

Ethan chuckled, "We met at one of Ellie's other parties before. She's one of the good ones."

…

Emily slipped away to the drinks table as Lindsay began chatting with the young corporal. She reached for the scotch but another hand lifted it away before her fingertips could touch the bottle.

"Allow me," A smooth voice said from behind her. Emily turned in surprise, she hadn't noticed anyone approach her. Maybe the alcohol was starting to kick in. She took in him as he refilled her glass before filling his own. He was handsome. Wow. Like _really_ handsome.

"Thank you." She stammered, taking a quick sip after they clinked glasses lightly.

"Aaron Shore." He introduced himself, holding out his hand. Emily took it, his warm hand engulfing her smaller one, sending an unexpected shiver down her spine.

"Emily Rhodes. Pleasure." She said, giving it a firm shake.

Aaron smirked at her, "You're on Secretary Kirkman's staff, aren't you?" But it wasn't really a question.

Emily nodded, taking another sip, "Yes, and you…?"

He lifted his eyebrow, shifting slightly on his feet as his eyes flicked to the side, "Deputy Chief of Staff to the President."

Emily choked, her hand flying up to her mouth as she finally made the connection. Aaron gave a low chuckle, his hand on her elbow as he guided her away from the table as a group of people approached it.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't realize-," Emily said quickly, her hand hovering over her mouth as she tried to recover and control her blush.

"Look, don't worry about it. It's quite refreshing, really. Usually people are all over me at these parties, trying to get me to give them an in." He responded easily, his eyes twinkling down at her.

"Well, they do say Washington runs on 95% connections and 5% caffeine."

Aaron chuckled again, "Don't ask me, I worked my way up from the mailroom."

Emily raised her eyebrows at this new information. It was hard to imagine this insanely attractive, cocky (and rightfully so) man sifting through envelopes in a cramped room. She gazed up at him as he took a sip; he was all chiseled features and neatly gelled dark hair, he held himself tall and proud, confidence radiating effortlessly from him. He looked the full part of a White House staffer. But his eyes were soft, expressive as he smiled down at her, his touch gentle as he guided her further to the side as more people brushed past them.

"So how long have you been in DC so far? I don't think I've seen you around much." He shifted closer, leaning against the wall and Emily mirrored his movements.

"But you knew that I work for Secretary Kirkman? Was that just a lucky guess or are you the world's worst stalker?" Emily teased, his close proximity and the liquid courage in her hand urging her on.

Aaron grinned slyly, "I may have asked around." He admitted and Emily felt a small thrill inside her. So he had done his research. She'd noticed him staring earlier that evening and had wondered if he would actually come talk to her.

"I've been here a couple years." She answered. Before she could ask him long how he had been in the Washington scene, two men walked into the room and instantly greeted Aaron, clapping his back and shaking his hand enthusiastically, the same way old fraternity brothers might greet one another after a few drinks. Emily began to back away, anticipating that Aaron would be swept away by his old buddies. She drifted into the next room, a smile breaking out across her face as she saw her roommate, Ellie, perched on the couch, waving her arms animatedly as she recounted what was no doubt an exciting story.

"Em!" Ellie cried, springing off the cushions to greet Emily. Emily laughed, holding her drink out away from her so she wouldn't spill it on Ellie as she threw her arms around Emily. "Everyone, this is Emily!" She exclaimed happily as she pulled her over to the group by the couch. The people in this room were noticeable more inebriated and the energy level was high. Ellie's friends, (including the hostess) chimed their "hello's." Ellie worked as Chief of Staff for the Secretary of Labor, which meant she had crazy good connections, not to mention her bubbly personality that secured her position in society.

Emily lingered for a while, winking to Lindsay as she left with the corporal. Part of her wondered if she should dip too. She didn't feel like finding new people to talk to and Ellie's group was too drunk that she would have had to catch up to keep enjoying their company.

"I thought I lost you for a while there."

Heat pooled unexpectedly in her belly as the low voice murmured in her ear and she didn't have to turn around to see who it was. They moved discreetly into a quieter room and Emily couldn't keep the small smile off her face. Aaron had found her again, their conversation wasn't just a brief exchange. They found an empty couch and sat.

"What happened to your friends?" She asked nonchalantly.

Aaron shrugged, "They found other people they wanted to spend the night with more." He said, his eyes burning into hers, the innuendo not unnoticed by Emily.

"Hm." Emily smiled around her glass at him. Maybe the night wasn't quite over yet.

"You didn't finish telling me about yourself." Aaron prompted, casually stretching his arm around the back of the couch.

"Not so fast, I want to hear how the mail boy worked his way up to Deputy Chief of Staff." Emily retorted.

"How about," Aaron leaned in a little closer, "A little tit for tat." He suggested and Emily's heart began to beat a little faster. It was a good thing they were both liquored up or this conversation would never have happened.

For the next hour, Emily and Aaron chatted, steadily emptying their glasses, their conversations starting from his childhood in Texas and her debate team in Akron to her spring breaks in Puerto Rico and his drunk soccer games with Congressmen. At one point, Emily found herself laughing openly, head thrown back as she braced herself with one hand on Aaron's knee, her sides aching, Aaron's eyes locked on her as he watched her with a grin on his face. Their glasses were long forgotten on the coffee table in front of them and Emily's hand lingered on his knee as she regained her composure. Aaron's fingertips skimmed her shoulder as his hand rested on the back of the couch, drifting closer and closer to Emily. That was how Ellie found them as she stumbled into the room, her hand pulling along Nathaniel, one of her regular hookups.

"Em! I didn't know you were still here!" Ellie exclaimed, clearly delighted to see her roommate finally lingering so late at a party. Her eyes shifted to Emily's companion and her lips parted a little in shock when she realized who it was.

"…Aaron." She said in a hushed voice, as if she were witnessing a myth come to life in front of her. Ellie's eyes flicked between Emily and Aaron and with an abrupt giggle, she broke into a wide grin, coming back to her senses.

"Get home safe!" She called mischievously, tugging Nathaniel out of the room. Emily laughed and glanced down at her watch, finally realizing how late it was.

"Nightcap?" Aaron suggested quietly, watching her. Emily lifted her eyes to meet his, as she considered his proposal. She had come to really like Aaron, with his smooth confidence and handsome smile. He was different than the average DC guy, clearly hard-working, genuine and still humble despite his position. The stories he told her proved that much. Not to mention that he was unbelievably sexy.

"Sure," Emily smiled shyly. Why not? She thought to herself. It had been a while and besides, wasn't that the whole point of tonight? To blow off some steam and have a good time after a long and hard session?

Aaron grinned at her and got up, offering a hand to Emily to pull her up. She swayed slightly on her feet, the scotch had finally worked its way up to her head.

"You okay?" Aaron's palm hovered over her arm, ready to catch her in case she fell.

"I'm good." Emily assured him, "Stood up too quickly is all." She offered him a smile and he hesitated until she laced her fingers loosely in his and lead the way out of the now nearly empty room. After a quick goodbye to the hostess, they stepped out into the cool night air and in a blur, Aaron had called a car and they had gotten in, Aaron giving precise directions to the driver while his hand ran soothingly up and down Emily's arm, trying to combat the chill of the early morning hours.

They arrived at his brownstone quickly, and soon she was standing in his kitchen, watching as he poured them both glasses of water. She looked around at his place, appreciating how neat yet homey his apartment was. Her eye caught on a picture stuck to his fridge, a photo full of smiling faces and curly hair.

"Your family?" She asked, stepping closer to take a better look.

"Yeah," Aaron moved closer. Emily's finger came up and ghosted over a familiar face.

"I didn't realize your hair was so curly." She mumbled and Aaron breathed out a chuckle as he came up behind her, setting his glass down on the adjacent counter. One hand came to rest lightly on her waist as the other reached over her shoulder to point out the faces in the photo.

"My mother and father. My cousin Nadia, whom I was telling you about." He explained and Emily suppressed shiver as his hot breath tickled her ear. She could feel his chest rumble against her back as he spoke. She could learn about his family later.

Emily spun around under his arms and he looked down at her, a pleasantly surprised look on his face. In an instant, she had placed her glass on the counter next to his and was pulling him down by the shirt to her lips.

The moment their lips met, a shock of electricity shot through Emily's entire body. She rose up on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck as he responded immediately, deepening the kiss. His large hands were around her waist, pushing her gently backwards until she was trapped between his body and the fridge.

She had known from the moment she set eyes on him that Aaron Shore was a good kisser. It was something about the way he held himself, the way he moved around a room. He kissed the way a good Deputy Chief of Staff should work- deliberately, thoroughly and confidently.

Emily pulled away first, her nails lightly scraping against his scalp as she returned to the flats of her feet, causing Aaron's breath to catch in his throat. She smirked as she caught her breath, her chest heaving against his. Aaron gazed down at her, his expression dark with desire that made her weak in the knees. She brought her hands up to his chest, her gaze following the lines her fingers traced along his chest.

"Emily," Aaron said and the second her eyes rose to meet his, he leaned down and captured her lips in another searing kiss. His hands came around her bottom and the next thing she knew, he had shifted them over and lifted her onto the counter. Emily hooked a leg around him and brought him flush against her again, one hand returning to its task of running through his curls, the other teasing apart the buttons of his shirt. Meanwhile, Aaron's hands roamed up and down her legs, moving further and further up her thigh, pushing at the fabric of her dress.

"Where's your bedroom," Emily whispered around his lips and he chuckled lightly before moving his lips down to her neck, causing her to moan as he found her pulse point with surprising accuracy.

"What's the hurry?" He breathed against her collarbone, and Emily pulled his lips back up to hers for a bruising kiss, making sure to tug on his lower lip lightly before pulling back to observe his reaction as she rolled her hips against his, earning groan from him.

"Yeah, okay." Aaron conceded, picking her up swiftly and maneuvering them out of the kitchen as Emily laughed at his change in resolution. He lowered her down onto the bed with surprising gentleness, slowly kissing his way down her neck as his hands deftly unzipped her dress and eased it off her shoulders. His eyes took her in hungrily as he revealed every new inch of skin before leaning back down to kiss her sweetly, muttering a slightly garbled "beautiful" against her lips.

"Oh god," Emily gasped as his lips began to travel south again and she took the opportunity to free him of his shirt as his tongue dipped into her navel.

"Aaron," She mumbled, causing him to pause with one hand still nudging her dress further down her body and look up with mild concern in his eyes. His hands came back up to brush the hair gently away from her face.

"What's the matter? Am I going too fast?" He asked, his brow furrowed as he hovered over her.

"No," Emily took advantage of his gentle stance and flipped them over so she was on top. "You're moving too slow." She teased as she went straight for her belt buckle. Relief flooded his face as he laughed, his hands returning to her waist as she leaned down to kiss him again.

* * *

"Someone get me Sasha Dixon!" Aaron yelled to no one in particular from his desk and the scurry of White House staff milling in the hall outside his office repeated the order amongst themselves.

_Sasha Dixon, get Ms. Dixon. _

_Who is Sasha? What desk is she at?_

_Hurry, the Chief of Staff is waiting. _

Was he the Chief of Staff? His superiors were gone, he was certainly next in line. God, what a terrible way to get promoted. Perhaps the only thing keeping him away from officially becoming Chief of Staff was-.

"Mr. Shore? They said you were asking for me?"

Aaron glanced up from the file in his hands to confirm that they had in fact, brought him the right girl. "Uh, right, Sasha. Is Emily Rhodes still in the building?"

"Yes, sir. Would you like me to bring her to you?"

"No, no." Aaron said quickly, putting the file down, and folding his hands in front of him, "No, uh, you know what? Consider yourself reassigned. You're her new assistant. Giver her base level clearance and privileges. Where ever Kirkman goes, she goes, as long as she has clearance for it. Understood?"

"I- yes, sir." Sasha hesitated, "But, Mr. Shore, are you sure you have the power to authorize all this?" She asked hesitantly.

Aaron met her square in the eye, "I don't know." He admitted truthfully, "But I know that it's important that she's there for him right now. After all, she was his Chief of Staff at HUD."

…

As he arrived back to the East Room after his unsettling conversation with General Cochrane, he scanned the room until his eyes landed on her. It was puzzling how the sight of someone who usually drew out his annoyance also gave him a sense of peace amid the chaos of that night. Suddenly, she seemed to feel his gaze on her and her head turned in his direction Aaron cleared his throat, quickly dropping his eyes to the floor, his fingers busily straightening the sleeves of his jacket but it was too late. She had caught him staring.

* * *

"You know it's rude to stare." She mumbled sleepily. Aaron chuckled quietly, brushing her hair off her forehead so he could lean over and press a kiss to her temple.

"I'm just surprised you stayed. I was half expecting you to sneak off in the middle of the night and not see you again until the fall." Aaron teased.

Emily rolled over under his arms so she was lying on her back as he hovered over her, propped up on his side. "Well, it's kind of hard to escape when you're wrapped around me for the majority of the night. Is this how the White House traps staffers from the Hill until they get their way?"

Aaron laughed again, placing a quick kiss on her lips, "Sorry," He said ruefully, "But this is how I get beautiful girls to get breakfast with me."

Emily sat up and cupped his check, pulling him in for a longer kiss, "Sorry, but I gotta run." She moved to the edge of the bed, reaching for her clothes on the floor.

"Already? I didn't know Kirkman worked his staff so hard on a Saturday morning." Aaron got out of bed as well, picking up a heel and walking it over to her.

"No, it's not that. I have to get home." She pulled his Tshirt over her head and tossed it to him, which he caught and pulled on in one smooth motion.

"Then let me at least make you breakfast. I've been told I make a mean cup of coffee." He prodded, running his hand over her bare shoulders as she paused to turn her dress right side out.

Emily turned, a small smile on her face and Aaron pulled her to his chest, dipping his head to kiss her lingeringly.

"Is that what you tell all your one-night stands?" She teased, tossing her dress onto the beds so she could run her hands up his back.

"Who said this was a one-night stand?" Aaron whispered, bending down to place open-mouthed kisses on her neck. He felt her stile a shiver and grinned to himself.

"Look," Emily pulled away slowly and Aaron proudly noticed her flushed cheeks, "last night was great, but I don't really like to mix business and my personal life this early in my career. At least, I like to keep it to three degrees of separation." She amended, noticing Aaron's raised eyebrows.

"I'd say we are more than three degrees." Aaron pointed out as Emily reached for her dress again.

"Yes, but see you, are a White House Deputy Chief of Staff. Eventually, you will be a first degree." Emily reasoned.

"Look, I get it, you need to be cautious who you're seen with, for appearance's sake, but that doesn't mean it should control your entire dating life. Emily, I had fun with you last night and it wasn't just the sex-," Aaron conceded but Emily cut him off.

"I had fun too, but it's not just about appearances. I just don't want anything to go down that might affect our professional lives. I need to focus on making a career for myself before anything else." She explained as she began to pull on her dress.

"That's fair, discretion is hardly a reality in Washington and uneven power relationships are the tabloids' gluttony. At least we won't end up like your friend Lindsay." Aaron commented offhandedly as he helped her zip up her dress, but he knew the second after he spoke that it was a mistake.

"Excuse me?" Emily spun around to face him, the spark that he had initially been drawn to was now on fire.

Oh, shit.

"Uh," Aaron squeezed his eyes shut, bringing a hand to rub his stubble as a string of curses ran through his head.

"What does Lindsay have to do with any of this?" Emily demanded, "What, did you screw her too?"

"No, no-, Emily, I meant what happened after her relationship with Marshall Stevens from the DOJ. You heard the gossip surrounding her promotion. Now, we both know full well that those were separate occurrences but the rest of the staffers? A scandal makes for better conversation than the daily news cycle. Now that's all people think when her name comes up."

Emily looked at him through slightly narrowed eyes, "You're a jerk when you're not drinking." She concluded.

Aaron sighed, running a hand through his hair as Emily continued to search for her other heel, "Emily, I'm sorry. Let me start over. I know you're still relatively new to DC but this is just how it works. Appearances are everything and 98% of the time, there is no controlling appearances."

"Great, thanks. Sex and an early morning politics lesson? Gee, I must be one lucky girl." Emily commented wryly. "Where the hell is my shoe?"

Aaron fished it out from underneath the bed and handed it to her silently, still trying to find a way to make up for his slip-up.

"I don't believe that appearances are everything. I think intention and values matter just as much, if not more." Emily declared, slipping on her heels, a challenging glint in her eye. The same glint that had captured his heart the night before.

"Well, then you and Kirkman are birds of a feather. Stick by him, it'll be important that you have each other's support to survive out here in Washington."

They regarded each other from across the room, Aaron in his Tshirt and boxers, hands on his hips, Emily standing tall in last night's dress, arms crossed.

"You're not going to be one of those men who turns bitter after a girl's rejected him, are you?" She asked and Aaron scoffed.

"Is that really how you think of me? What happened to everything last night?" His brow furrowed in disbelief.

"Well for the record, you were a lot smoother once you had a couple of drinks in you." Emily stated, striding out of the bedroom.

Yeah, usually a lot smoother with all women except, apparently, with you.

"Look," Emily picked up her purse from the counter and turned to face him, "I had a good time getting know you last night. We're going to have to work together pretty soon, so maybe we can just call our differences and let it be what they are and part as professional acquaintances." Emily said diplomatically and Aaron's eyebrows shot up in disbelief.

"I-, uh, yeah. Professional acquaintances." He took her hand and shook it, slightly bewildered.

"So I guess we'll just have to see who wins in the end. Intentions or appearances. See you around, Aaron Shore." And with that, Emily strode out of his apartment, leaving him in her wake to pinch his nose and groan in frustration.

Aaron saw her again much sooner than he had expected when Emily came strolling into the White House as Kirkman's newly appointed Chief of Staff, starting the first of which would be a series of battles and competitions to acquire wins for their bosses. Their encounters were always professional, and when they ran into each other outside of the White House, their interactions were of forced detachment, almost cool indifference, always leaving Aaron with a twinge in his heart as he watched her leave, never knowing when he would see her again. Maybe that's why she was always at the back of his mind. When he heard she had started dating Ellie's cousin, he'd sneered about second degrees of separation to Ethan and avoided HUD meetings for a month, trying not to let his intentions have any effect on his appearance.

* * *

Emily felt the goosebumps before she felt his eyes on her. She indulged in a quick glance in his direction to see his eyes locked on her as General Cochrane strode past him to the other side of the room. Sasha had come to her an hour earlier, breathless as she summarized Aaron's directions, ecstatic with her sudden promotion to assistant to one of the President's senior staff. Emily didn't have it in her heart to tell the young aide that the position was likely very temporary. Continuity of Government only applied to the President and his family. Chief of Staffs were rarely ever carried over.

But it sounded like Aaron planned for her to stay, so she gave him a small nod- an acknowledgement. Maybe an apology. Perhaps an acquiescence to that night. His lips quirked upward for a quick second before he ducked his head. Emily refocused on the scene in front of her as the media producer began his countdown and the room stilled.

"My Fellow Americans…"

* * *

****Yes, I am back! Motivated by the Season Three trailer which is the real tea here. Can we talk for a second about that look between Emron and then then sudden appearance of this girlfriend of Aaron's? (I'm still in deep denial) And even more, the Kirkman/Shore campaign which HAS to be inspired by the fanfics you guys have posted here…! I'm excited and also dreading the new season. Either way, you can likely expect more stories on here as I try to cope. **


End file.
